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Picture of hjs157
posted
Can anyone advise/recommend a light, standard pressure .38 Special load for casual range use in my 1972 Colt Detective Special? I'm not interested in a carry/defensive round, but rather something which will be easy on the revolver. I have a box of Winchester 110 gr. Silvertip JHP's which chart at around 945 fps at the muzzle. Am I correct in thinking the old tried & true 158 gr. lead semi-wad cutter at 755 fps would be easier on the action than the faster Silvertip load? Thanks in advance for your reply.
 
Posts: 3584 | Location: Western PA | Registered: July 20, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
That's just the
Flomax talking
Picture of GaryBF
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For casual range use, I suggest the tried and true 38 Special round nose. 38 wadcutters would be very gentle, but harder to find and probably more expensive.
 
Posts: 11875 | Location: St. Louis, Missouri | Registered: February 04, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Big Stack
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This sounds like a job for basic 148 grain full wadcutter standard velocity target rounds (made by anyone and everyone.)

Edit: Garry and I hit the button at the same time. But wadcutter loads shouldn't be hard to find. Here's link to one, which has links to more.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1000192977
 
Posts: 21240 | Registered: November 05, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by hjs157:
Can anyone advise/recommend a light, standard pressure .38 Special load for casual range use in my 1972 Colt Detective Special? I'm not interested in a carry/defensive round, but rather something which will be easy on the revolver. I have a box of Winchester 110 gr. Silvertip JHP's which chart at around 945 fps at the muzzle. Am I correct in thinking the old tried & true 158 gr. lead semi-wad cutter at 755 fps would be easier on the action than the faster Silvertip load? Thanks in advance for your reply.



Yeah 158 grain normal .38 specials should be fine in it.
 
Posts: 21421 | Registered: June 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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If you can find it: Federal Nyclad.
Excellent load for snubs.


End of Earth: 2 Miles
Upper Peninsula: 4 Miles
 
Posts: 16466 | Location: Marquette MI | Registered: July 08, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Freethinker
Picture of sigfreund
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Light and gentle? 148 grain (full) wadcutters.




6.4/93.6
___________
“We are Americans …. Together we have resisted the trap of appeasement, cynicism, and isolation that gives temptation to tyrants.”
— George H. W. Bush
 
Posts: 47817 | Location: 10,150 Feet Above Sea Level in Colorado | Registered: April 04, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of pbramlett
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Good timing. I recently acquired a colt army special made in 1921. Was looking for the same info.

Thanks!




Regards,

P.
 
Posts: 1290 | Location: Alabama | Registered: May 20, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
I'm not laughing
WITH you
Picture of Rolan_Kraps
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For Cowboy Action Shooting I load 125gr bullets with 2.7 grains of clays. My Detective Special likes them very much.




Rolan Kraps
SASS Regulator
Gainesville, Georgia.
NRA Range Safety Officer
NRA Certified Instructor - Pistol / Personal Protection Inside the Home
 
Posts: 23581 | Location: Gainesville, GA | Registered: October 11, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
His diet consists of black
coffee, and sarcasm.
Picture of egregore
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As long as carry/defense isn't a concern, the full wadcutter target load is fine. (Not because of an ineffective bullet shape, but because they are loaded very light. Also, wadcutters are great for the "in-the-gun" load, but terrible for reloading.) Realistically, even the standard 158 lead round nose is "gentle" enough. I have heard that the 130 FMJ is pretty mild, but jacketed bullets may not be as "gentle" to the bore as lead.
 
Posts: 28892 | Location: Johnson City, TN | Registered: April 28, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Big Stack
posted Hide Post
I think Nyclad as a product is long gone. But there are now a good number of powder/polymer coated bullet rounds out there. Some reloaders DIY the coating.

quote:
Originally posted by YooperSigs:
If you can find it: Federal Nyclad.
Excellent load for snubs.
 
Posts: 21240 | Registered: November 05, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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